25 feel-good shows to start 2018 off right

Jane the Virgin

The premise: Jane Villanueva, played by Gina Rodriguez, is  an ambitious, family-oriented young woman living in Miami with her mother and grandmother. She also happens to be a virgin, saving her self, Catholic-style, for marriage. She is accidentally inseminated by her long-lost crush’s doctor-sister, and becomes pregnant. I know it sounds strange and far-fetched, but it’s designed to honor the telenovela style, and its high-concept is a nod to this wildly popular genre.

Why it’s so good: It’s freaking heartwarming, y’all. Jane Villanueva is one of the most likable and gregarious characters on television. She’s smart, interesting, beautiful, and often, terribly flawed. As the main protagonist, Jane does the bulk of the emotional heavy lifting, and she is almost solely responsible for the devotion fans feel for the show. We are going through it with her, and it’s we love every second of it.

Her relationships with her mother and grandmother, not to mention her dreamy baby-daddy (Justin Baldoni) are the crux of the show. Sure, there are some antics and shenanigans to be had, but we don’t tune in for the magical realism (not totally, anyway) but to watch Jane be a loving daughter, a petulant granddaughter or a moony-eyed girlfriend. We connect with it all.

How to watch: You can watch seasons 1-3 on Netflix, and catch up on the latest of season 4 on The CW